Judges 12

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“Go on!...say Shibboleth!”
[Read Judges 12:1-7]
Here we see the Ephraimites doing what they do best. From this (and other) example(s), what does this tell us about their character?

How did Gideon deal with this same situation?

Given what we’ve seen of Jephthah so far, how would we expect him to deal with this situation?


Here we see Isreal fighting against Isreal. What could this tell us?


What’s the deal with this “magic word” Shibboleth?


One phrase is missing from the Isrealite’s battle. What is it? What could this mean?


Verse 7, along with Hebrews 11:32-34, tells us our final information about Jephthah. What is it? And
what could it mean?

[Read Judges 12:8-15]
Following straight on from Jephthah, we see Ibzan. What does Ibzan do to secure peace between tribes? How?

Remembering our previous study on the Significance of Insignificance. What final thoughts can we grasp from the end of this chapter?


[Activity] > It’s interesting to see just how and why God uses these different Judges in different ways... Othniel, after rebuking was given purpose. Ehud gives us God’s method and through his left-handedness shows us God’s unexpected/unorthodox deliverance. God shows us through Deborah and Barak, His requirement is for straightforward obedience. Through Gideon He shows His principle is to use weakness as strength. These Judge’s methods/skills/abilities speak to us about who God is. So what about Jephthah? What/How does his story reflect things about God?